In this blog, I reflect on Bible Trivia questions. The questions come from Bible Bafflers. The game’s cards are divided into five categories and I review one card for each day of the traditional workweek. The topics are: People (Monday), Other Bafflers (Tuesday), New Testament (Wednesday), Old Testament (Thursday), Geography/History (Friday).

Friday, August 5, 2011

Lot: A Slow Boiled Frog (Genesis 13:12)

Where did Abraham’s nephew, Lot, move after separating from his uncle? To Sodom.

When Abraham (then Abram) journeyed to the land that God would show him (Genesis 12:1), he took his late brother Haran’s son, Lot, along (Genesis 12:4). Both prospered and eventually the land was not big enough for the both of them (Genesis 13:6). Their hired hands began feuding (Genesis 13:7) and Abraham decided to resolve the conflict by dividing the land and allowing Lot to choose his portion (Genesis 13:8-9). Lot saw the fertility of the land to the east in the Jordan valley and selected it (Genesis 13:10-11). It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Each time Lot’s location is reported thereafter, his contiguity to the city gates of Sodom is closer. Lot begins in the vicinity of Sodom (Genesis 13:12), becomes a resident (Genesis 14:12) and eventually is seen sitting at the gate, a place of prominence (Genesis 19:1). From the outset, Sodom’s citizens are appraised as “exceedingly wicked” (Genesis 13:13 NASB) and Lot slowly became one of them.

How did you choose where you live? Were there any moral considerations?

It is said that if a frog were to be put into a cauldron of boiling water, it would instinctively leap to escape danger. Conversely, if placed in a pleasant kettle and gradually boiled, frogs would not relocate as their survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes. The analogy of a slow boiling frog has become a widespread anecdote used to illustrate the need for awareness of slowly changing trends as well as the obvious sweeping changes.

The metaphor is based on study conducted by A. Heinzmann in 1872 which encompassed examining 27 frogs. Heinzmann planned to heat decapitated and brain damaged frogs with only one of their legs in the water. He progressed to an arrangement where the frog was seated on a cork floating in a cylinder of water. Heinzmann then elevated the temperature of the frog’s habitat from 21° (Celsius) to 37.5° over the course of 90 minutes. Eventually, Heinzmann advanced to working with undamaged frogs. In his twelfth trial, a healthy frog was boiled from 23° to 39° without any movement though the amphibian could have freely escaped throughout the experiment if it so chose. Heinzmann successfully replicated the results in two of his next three trials. He then reproduced the experiment with freezing temperatures. (Heinzmann [1872], “Ueber die Wirkung Sehr Allmäliger Aenderungen Thermischer Reize auf die Empfindungsnerven”, Archiv fur die Gesammte Physiologie, Bd. VI, 222-236)

Though Heinzmann’s findings were corroborated by C. Fratscher in 1875, today, modern scientists refute Heinzmann’s findings. Whether true or not, the analogy of the slow boiled frog conveys truth as evidenced by Lot’s story. Lot was “righteous” (II Peter 2:7) and yet his association with Sodom ruined his life. Through his residing in the doomed city, his wife died (Genesis 19:26) and when he is last seen in the Biblical text, he is involved in a drunken, incestuous relationship with his own daughters (Genesis 19:30-38). “Righteous” Lot’s downfall began by moving closer and closer to the “exceedingly wicked”.

Are you in danger of becoming a slow boiled frog in any aspect of your life?

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In this blog, I reflect on Bible Trivia questions. The questions come from Bible Bafflers. The game’s cards are divided into five categories and I review one card for each day of the traditional workweek. The topics are: People (Monday), Other Bafflers (Tuesday), New Testament (Wednesday), Old Testament (Thursday), Geography/History (Friday).

I will reflect on the question that either piques my interest or the card that I know the least about. The intent is to produce 3-5 posts each week.

The goals of this blog are to (1) Engage in dialogue about the Bible with anyone who has interest; (2) Provide my congregation with a resource for Bible study throughout the week (and not just on Sunday); (3). Provide my friends with a daily devotional; and (4) Give myself an outlet for thought and accountability.

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More About Me

■I am the senior pastor of Rutledge Baptist Church in Rutledge, Tennessee. (The name is not just a clever marketing ploy.) It is located in Grainger County a.k.a. Tomato Country.

■I am a Baptist who has lived his entire life in the south but am not in any way affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

■In my time in Grainger County, to support members, I have gone to chicken judging contests, taken ballroom dancing lessons, had rotten tomatoes thrown at me, and arm wrestled an eight year old member in the sanctuary. I lost.

■I attempt to always motivate myself and my congregation through love and never via fear.

■I am often told that I seem too young to be a senior pastor though I am uncertain if that is based upon my youthful appearance and exuberance or any striking immaturity I may exhibit.

■I have adopted a principle based system of ethics. As a rule, I loathe deontological ethics.

■I am single and may serve the only church in history with a Pastor’s Wife Search Committee.

■I am known for being transparent, often to a fault. I have one and only one secret and those close to me know it as well.

■I serve on the boards of Appalachian Outreach, the Community Benevolence Committee, Leadership Grainger, and the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I volunteer at the Samaritan House.

■I have coached teeball the last two years. My undertaking to name my glorious franchise “The Bible Beaters” was rejected.

■I value education.

■I graduated from the McAfee School of Theology (a subsidiary of Mercer University in the ATL). I was Peter Rhea Jones’ assistant and learned at the feet of John Claypool. Had I gained nothing form my seminary experience but the time with Claypool, the three years would have been worth it.

■I am soon to complete a second master’s in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Adult Learning from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

■I learn best in dialogue.

■I am an only child. I have never even owned a pet. My parents offered a dog when I was child with the provision that I be responsible for its care. After estimating the workload, I respectfully declined the offer.

■I lived the first six years of my life in Newport, Tennessee, and the remainder of my upbringing was done in Knoxville. West High School, Class of 1996.

■First Baptist Church of Newport and the Central Baptist Church of Bearden served as my home churches. Every pastor I ever had possessed a doctorate (Stan Rushing, Bill Bruster, Larry Fields).

■I talk very fast.

■I collect books and movies. Between a former job at Movies 4 Sale and living a great deal of my life near McKay’s Used Books and CDs, I own more books and DVDs than anyone you know.

■Peyton Manning is my favorite athlete. Unless I am in need of someone to impregnate unwed super models, I would choose Manning over Tom Brady every time.

■I like to play team trivia at restaurants with my team, Tiger Blood. Yes, we named our team after a Charlie Sheen expression. We even bought t-shirts from him. Did I mention I am a nerd?